Showcasing Power Industry

Thru Micro Models

Version 1.3

A white paper

CVMark Consulting
2010

Copyright © 2010, CVMark Consulting, All rights reserved.

 Micro Industrial Models

Keywords: Models, miniatures, miniaturization, engineering models, industrial models, scale

down models, micro models, marketing tools, demonstrators, teaching aids, strategic point of
discussion, replica, prototype, micro industrial landscaping, power sector, power products,
power projects, capital goods, exhibition

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 Micro Industrial Models

Content

CONTENT......................................................................................................................... 3
1. ISSUES IN DEALING WITH COMPLEX PRODUCTS.................................... 5
2. PROJECT IN A BOX............................................................................................... 6
3. MICRO-MODELING ALREADY A BUZZWORD............................................. 6
4. MICRO-MODELING A NEW MARKETING TOOL......................................... 9
5. DERIVE THE BENEFITS OF MICRO-MODELING ......................................... 9
6. RELATED PUBLICATIONS FROM CVMARK ............................................... 10

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 Micro Industrial Models

Learn how organizations are reducing time to market for large and complex,
engineering products and structures by using Micro-modeling as a new Presentation
Tool. For suppliers, buyers, employees, consultants and contractors; micro-modeling
offers a very strong proposition for faster decision making by offering better
visualization.

You can now

⎯ Showcase your large Machinery and Systems in a better way

⎯ Speedup design review and process reengineering
⎯ Speedup training of interns and recruits
⎯ Speedup visual training of employees on your plant/system
⎯ Resolve logistic problems in presenting large machinery and system in an
exhibition center
⎯ Carry replica of your large and complex products with you, any where
⎯ Sell and consult your system design better

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 Micro Industrial Models

Introduction
The future growth of India has been pegged to the growth of electric power sector across generation,
transmission and distribution. Huge outlay has been earmarked by both government and private sector for
building power infrastructure.

Although, there is a surge in demands for power related products and systems, the maturity of the power
industry makes it a very competitive market place. A large number of players, domestic as well as from
outside participate in this industry. These include consulting, product, systems, EPC and several
intermediaries. The products could be as small as a
domestic electric switch and as large as an HV
transformer that will stand several meters tall. Larger
part of the market is in power infrastructural projects
like substation, distribution system and power plant
construction, for which bidding is normally in the
range of millions of dollars. These projects are very
complex, spatially large and have a large cycle time.
Although, large cycle time has been considered as a
given thing in the execution of these projects,
organizations remain in constant look out for new
ways to drastically reduce time to market, as the
ensuing benefits are large.

1. Issues in dealing with

Complex Products
Products and systems in power projects being large,
bulky and complex, have their own disadvantages from
process point of view. During various phases of the
project, various people involved in the project need a
very high level of visualization of the “project to be”.
Today, these visualizations are supported by sketches,
drawings, descriptions and historical project details.
Use of these aids, although, essential from an
engineering point of view, have their own limitations
in terms of the offered visualization of the “project to
be”. It would perhaps be of great help, if it were
possible for the project team to have a physical replica
of the “project to be” on their desk. Just imagine, how
simple it would be for you, as a marketing team of an
EPC company, to impress upon your design concepts
of power plant, if you have a miniaturized engineering
model of your plant that could be carried to the
customer desk. Similarly, imagine, if you have a
physical model of a rural electrification project, then
how easy it would be for the engineering and
operations team to discuss implementation strategy.
Figure 1: Power Engineering Products and System
1.High Voltage Reactor, 2. 400MVA Transformer
3. Special substation

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 Micro Industrial Models

2. Project in a Box
Today, when engineering organizations have to participate in large industry exhibitions, they have
stupendous task in show casing their mainline products and systems like, HV switchgear, power
transformer, substation, large generators etc.; owing to sheer logistic and cost consideration. Most often,
they have to be content with shipping of one or two products and a large number of postures and marketing
brochures. Imagine, the extent to which exhibition can be made more fruitful, if you were to have all your
products however complex and however large, scaled down with all technical complexity intact (e.g. scale,
fittings, contours, finish, color, components etc.), in such a way that they could be individually carried
from place to place in a box. This will be a big boon for an organization like BHEL and ABB, for whom it
is next to impossible to showcase an integrated value of all the offerings they have to make to the world.
With such an offering to customers in an exhibition is possible, it would not only make sense to conduct a
multilevel discussions on design, layout, footprint, material flow and construction of the project but will
also save significant space and cost at the exhibition.

The enhanced visualization aid that micro models provides in an exhibition center, finds applications for
various activities that need products or projects, as points of discussions. These discussions could be for
strategic, training, customer related, marketing, sales, process re-engineering or showcasing. The point to
remember is that if you have a physical replica of your to be products or systems ready, you are in a
position to not only market your products and systems to individual needs of the customers, but also
showcase your capability to fulfill needs of enterprise level customers. Further, you can place your products
as point of discussion for various stakeholders.

3. Micro-modeling already a buzzword

Have a look at the exhibits in this whitepaper. They are not photographs taken at the site. The are
photographs of the miniaturized models that organizations are using for various applications. Figure-2,
shows the miniaturized model of a 6 MW bio-generation plant that AREVA, a multinational conglomerate
has showcased in a large power exhibition. AREVA is a world leader in building power generation plants
and wishes to show case its
expertise and commitment
to renewable energy and
sustainable development.
Like other companies, it
could, perhaps, have given
massive advertisements that
would have led to a
multimillion dollar
expensive campaign to
project its business. It rather,
chose to have a micro-model
built in Bangalore, and in its
first sojourn, shipped it to an
exhibition held at New
Delhi. The model developed
to the scale of 1:200, is an
awe-striking replica of the
original model that is
operating at Guntur, in state
of Andhra Pradesh.

Figure 2. Different views of Bio Mass Power Generation Plant

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 Micro Industrial Models

Micro-modeling is doing great wonders for many organizations. For large organizations, who manufacture
a range of products over many domains and who provide large industrial solutions, it is inconceivable to
showcase their complete range of products to enterprise customers in one place and market an integrated
value. Micro-modeling of products and systems, and presentation of these in a well knit cluster offers the
only best solution to such organizations. ABB, a world leader in industrial automation and power
technology, supplying a wide ranging products and systems had no place on the earth, where it could
demonstrate its contribution across the value chain. It has now built a world class demonstration center in
India, that is a combination of Micro-modeling of large systems and actual but smaller products, to weave
a story that tells at one location- “what is ABB”. The demonstration center is used to showcase ABB’s
mind-boggling presence across the value chain in power and automation technology to its customers. The
same model of representation has now been replicated in its Corporate Research Center in Sweden.

Fig. 3(a) Micro models used in ABB Corporate Research Demonstration Center, Bangalore, India

Figure 3(b): Power system micro structures, ABB Corporate Research, Vasteras, Sweden

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 Micro Industrial Models

Micro-modeling along with site layout, finds significant use in showcasing infrastructural projects during
formal and social occasions including, project inauguration ceremony, corporate presentation, memorabilia,
layout tour, schematic presentation, project overview, map etc. These miniatures could be founded on site,
in corporate office, office entrance,
training room, design engineering
room and industrial museum. Figure-
4, is an onsite built Micro-model of
1000 MW Hydro Electric Power
Generation Station, over the river
Narmada in Bhopal. Look at the
fineness, the precision and the
contours that match one to one in
details to the actual dam. Visitors to
the dam, first study this layout before
they actually visit the dam, as it gives
them a great deal of vividness and
realism, and they carry along the
memory of the engineering marvel
that the Hydro Electric Plant is.

Figure 4: On site Micro Landscaping of 1000MW, Hydro Plant at

Bhopal over Narmada river

GE a multi-domain and a multi-product conglomerate,

conducts its product development in a distributed way.
Product concept, design, manufacturing, sourcing and
service, probably all take place at different locations. It
takes a great deal of co-ordination to have various
places visualizing the same thing in the same way. It
found miniaturized models of its products as a great
aid for visualization during training and design phase.
Figure-5(a), shows, cut-section miniaturized model of
Motorized Drive for off-highway vehicles from GE,
that helped its team in enhanced visualization and
productive engineering practice.

Figure 5(a). Micro Cut-section Model of Motorized

Drive for engineering modeling and product training

Examples of exploiting benefits of Micro-modeling are

numerous, however, more astonishing are the different
utilities that users are finding out of Micro-modeling.
Almost every body in the supply chain of power industry,
has one or more utility attached to it. Whether it is
design, consulting, engineering, marketing, sales,
operations, training, process reengineering or corporate
communication team.

Figure 5(b): 16 segment, Micro Cut-section Model of a large

Gas Turbine Rotor for training design and maintenance engineers

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 Micro Industrial Models

4. Micro-modeling a New Marketing Tool

Micro-modeling is an engineering practice that allows representation of real life objects, however large
and complex, into smaller scale, to provide utilities that are not readily fulfilled by original objects owing
to size, cost or location constraints.

More and more organizations are using this technique as a novel “marketing/ selling tool” to reduce the
distance between actual product/site and stakeholders that are involved in decision making through
visualization of complex setup like power plant or substation. Micro-models are being used for following
high value realization:

1. Showcasing: in exhibition, board room and corporate office e.g. plant structural details,
landscaping, process layout, infrastructural layout, complex large products and systems
etc.
2. Walk-thru exercise, Workflow simulation, Process re-engineering: through visualization
of spatially large systems e.g. power plant, cement plant, automobile factory, steel mill
etc.
3. Instructions & Training: to recruits, employees, customers and students, about features
and functionalities of products and systems
4. Working demonstration, e.g. movement of conveyor system etc.
5. Mementos

Various industry stakeholders, who are using Micro-models include plant owners, suppliers, consultants,
contractors, project offices, training institutes and exhibitors. Industries with profiles similar to that of
ABB, BHEL, GE, Siemens, AREVA, Alstom, CPRI, Crompton Greaves, Kirloskar Electric, EMCO, EIL,
L&T, Caterpillar, Wartsilla Diesel, Power Grid, NTPC, NHPC, Suzlon, TERI, Reliance Power and Tata
Power will have a lot to gain by adopting miniaturized models of their products and systems.

Micro-modeling of Industrial Structures is not the job of a hobbyist or a toy maker, it is an exact
engineering practice that involves multidisciplinary engineering approach. It needs expertise in industrial
design, knowledge of assembly and precision manufacturing process, adeptness in painting, special
carving and cutting process, ability in handling tiny components and special materials, and experience in
structural landscaping. In making dynamic (or live) models, e.g. movement of conveyors or rotation of kiln,
implementation of advanced industrial automation techniques is required. Hence normally, Micro-
modeling of a structure like Power Plant, is a an engineering project in itself. It takes time to produce an
exact replica with the right scaling, precision and visualization.

5. Derive the Benefits of Micro-modeling

So, you may be in any part of the power industry value chain, dealing with products, systems or projects;
you now have an excellent way to carryout your discussions with your group, by having the product in
front of you, before it is actually made. Further, you could ship your dream project to any destination and
could have multiple copies in a very short time at a very less cost , thanks to Micro-modeling!!

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 Micro Industrial Models

6. Related Publications from CVMark

1. “Micro-modeling: an Exact Training Tool for Engineering Companies”
2. “Showcase your Cement Plant through Micro-modelling”.
3. “Micro Industrial Models- A new marketing tool ”
4. “Showcasing Engineering Products and Systems through Micro-Modeling”.
5. “Increasing Sales in a Slowing Economy”

These are also available as downloads from http://www.enggmodels.com

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 Micro Industrial Models

Disclaimer:
CVMark Consulting is an independent business-innovation research agency based out of Bangalore,
INDIA.

CVMark Consulting intends to serve business community through advisory, consulting and coaching
engagements. As a part of its engagements, it regularly brings out perspectives, research reports,
newsletters, issue-oriented reports and other products.

This report is commissioned by Precise Engineering Models to create market awareness of scaled-down
models as applied to engineering & capital goods industry. This document in part or full can be
reproduced subject to a reference to CVMark Consulting and to this document.

Factual material contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but the publisher is not
responsible for any errors or omissions contained herein. Opinions are those of CVMark and are based on
research conducted for this report. CVMark holds no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of
content of this report.

CVMark Consulting
Bangalore, INDIA

______________________________________________________________________________________

About: Precise Engineering Models

Precise, specializes in providing scaled down models (micro-models) of complex engineering products and systems.
Precise offers innovative solutions to exhibit complex and large engineering products, which reduce cost. save efforts
and enhance scope of exhibition. For the same booth space in tradeshows, now its clients can exhibit more products in a
better way. They can do so, in several places and on several occasions with ease. Further, Precise Engineering models
offer, strong value proposition across the complete life cycle of the products i.e. concept, sales, design, manufacturing,
training, installation, commissioning and repair.

www.enggmodels.com, #247, Laggere Main Road, Chowdeshwari Nagar, Bangalore-560 058, INDIA, Tel: +91 98453
96473
______________________________________________________________________________

CVM-MM-001-008

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